Nasrullah Khan speaks to Geo News in this picture taken two weeks ago when he was reunited with his family nine years after he left Pakistan for Britain. — Geo News FILE

LONDON: A terminally-ill Pakistani father of two died on Thursday afternoon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, two weeks after he was reunited with his family.

Khan, who had left Pakistan for Britain nine years ago, was brought to the hospital before Christmas but was denied life-saving transplant at the time because he didn’t have permission to live in Britain and was so critically ill that doctors told him travelling to Pakistan will be unsafe for him. His brother Fiasal Hanif told this scribe that Khan lost his battle while his family was around.

“It’s a huge tragedy and we are all devastated. The only consolation is that his wife and two sons were able to meet him after nine years of separation. They saw him all wired and on death bed for two weeks but at least they met him. I am thankful to British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for helping us. The British high commissioner provided visa to my brother’s family and DG ISPR Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor took personal interest and facilitated travel arrangements. We are thankful to them and everyone else who helped us,” he said.

Khan was told that he only had a few days to live. Through Geo News, he had appealed to the British High Commission in Islamabad and the DG ISPR to grant visas to his family so he could meet them one last time.

He had said in his appeal: “I have no hope left but it is my last wish is to see my sons, aged 9 and 11. My family applied for their visa two weeks ago but have not yet been issued them by the British High Commission. Thomas Drew can take a look at my case and help issue visas to my family. Major General Asif Ghafoor can help me a lot if he’s made aware of my case. I know he has helped many people in genuine need.”

Khan suffered from heart and acute organ failure. He had been living in the United Kingdom for nine years but entered the country on a six-month tourist visa and overstayed, doing menial jobs and not being able to regularise his status. Under the Home Office’s immigration rules, only patients with “Indefinite Leave to Remain” are entitled to free medical treatment.

His brother said that funeral prayers of Khan will be offered on Friday in Birmingham and the dead body will be flown to Pakistan on the weekend on a PIA flight.

“Nasrullah’s wife and two sons along with other family members will be flying to Pakistan for burial,” he said, adding that the burial will take place in Jhelum.

Sindh High Court on Thursday resumed hearing petition with regard to distribution of Rs560m among victims’ families

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday resumed hearing a petition filed by family members of Baldia factory fire victims who had moved the court against non-payment of Rs560 million in monetary compensation.

Some 260 people were killed in a blaze which was started deliberately at the Ali Enterprises factory in Karachi’s Baldia Town on September 11, 2012, in one of the country’s worst industrial disasters.

Nine accused — including Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker and then provincial minister for commerce and industries Rauf Siddiqui, then MQM sector in-charge Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, and Zubair alias Chariya — were charged with allegedly setting the factory on fire with the help of their four gatekeepers — Shahrukh, Fazal Ahmed, Arshad Mehmood and Ali Mohammad.

According to the prosecution, they had acted on the instruction of the then head of MQM Karachi Tanzeemi Committee Hammad Siddiqui after the factory owners failed to pay extortion money.

The victims’ families, in their petition, argued that the provincial law officer did not file comments with regard to the statement of labour minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on May 1, 2018 on the distribution of Rs560 million among the legal heirs of the victims.

The Sindh government, in its written reply submitted to the court today, stated that the distribution of Rs560 million among the victims’ families was only a newspaper announcement, at which the court remarked that there seemed to be no hope for the victims’ families to receive any compensation.

The court directed the petitioners to submit their reply on February 28.

LAHORE: Deposed chairman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said agreements were done with Saudi Arabia during PML-N’s tenure and that the crown prince had signed aid package with him.

Speaking to party leaders at Kot Lakhpat prison, Nawaz said motorways and health cards were all PML-N’s plans. “The current government is relaunching our projects and is trying to take credit for it,” he said.

The PML-N leader further said trade talks with Saudi Arabia were finalised during his tenure. “The Saudi crown prince finalised aid package with me. It takes time to settle international matters,” Nawaz added.

“If we were in power, people would be travelling in Orange Train. We left the Lahore-Multan motorway almost complete for them and they could not even finish that. They could not even complete the Lahore-Multan interchange,” the former prime minister added.

“There was a web of highways laid down in our tenure in Balochistan. They can take the credit for our plans but they should open them for the public,” Nawaz said.

About the cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Shehbaz Sharif, the older Sharif said, they [NAB] are being humiliated for the cases. He added, NAB made cases against development projects in Punjab but did nothing against the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Shehbaz made numerous power plans, while KP could not even made one,” Nawaz added.

Criticizing former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Nawaz said, Musharraf, made NAB’s law keeping him in focus. He admitted that in the beginning, they had no idea that NAB’s law would be this dangerous.

Responding to a question about his health, the PML-N leader said, the government has made four boards regarding his health and all the boards confirmed about my heart condition.

In response to another question about whether he should go home or to the hospital from prison, Nawaz said, “Who wants to go to a hospital? When I saw the weather in the morning I wanted to go to Malam Jabba,” he shared.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that winter rains are worth billions of rupees to the economy as they replenish the water resources of the country.

In a tweet on social media, the prime minister said: “We should all thank Allah almighty for the continuing winter rains that are worth billions to the economy apart from replenishing our water table and glaciers plus countering air pollution. InshaAllah we will have a bumper wheat crop this year.”

Pakistan is witnessing an unusually prolonged winter this year. On Wednesday, chief meteorologist of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Khalid Malik said Malakand, Hazara, Murree, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Kashmir divisions have received 22.5 inches of snow so far.

“More than 25 to 30 per cent rain has been recorded this winter in various parts of the country, due to which the Tarbela and Mangla dams level are also more than normal,” he said.

The PMD also said that rain with thunderstorm and snowfall over the hills is expected at scattered places in Quetta, Zhob, Kalat, Malakand, Hazara, Kohat, Bannu divisions along with Kashmir and G-B.

Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal says the MoU will be signed during the forthcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will ink a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on drug control, smuggling and psychotropic substances, according to the Foreign Office of Pakistan.

The MoU will be signed during the forthcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said on Twitter.

The Saudi crown prince will arrive in Pakistan on February 16 for a two-day visit, according to the Saudi ambassador, and is expected to stay at the PM House.

During his stay, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be signing a number of agreements and MoUs related to diverse sectors, including investment, finance, power, renewable energy, internal security, media, culture and sports.

The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said a high-powered Saudi delegation including key ministers and over 20 businessmen from leading companies would hold meetings with their counterparts in Pakistan and discuss the potential of bigger investment between the two countries.

He added that a Pak-Saudi Coordination Council would be set up following the visit, whereas Prime Minister Imran Khan would personally lead monitoring of the implementation of MoUs.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday chaired a high-level preparatory meeting on the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to Pakistan starting February 16, a statement from the PM House said.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers of finance, information and petroleum division, Adviser to PM on Commerce, Special Assistant to PM Yousuf Bajg Mirza, Special Assistant to PM Iftikhar Durrani, foreign secretary, secretary information, secretary interior, secretary finance, Board of Investment (BOI) chairman and other senior officials, according to the statement.

Corps commander Rawalpindi, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor were also present at the meeting.

The forum discussed security and arrangements for the Saudi crown prince’s visit, the statement said.

The meeting decided to give a historic welcome to the Saudi crown prince and his delegation. The Prime Minister told the participants that the present-day Pakistan was providing maximum opportunities to foreign investors. He said that all possible facilities would be provided to promotion of investment and business in the country.

Khan said the government was ensuring provision of all necessary facilities for business and visas. He said the country would play its role for durable peace in the region, adding this was the new Pakistan where the whole world was witnessing.

The Saudi crown prince will arrive in Pakistan on February 16 for a two-day visit, according to the Saudi ambassador, and is expected to stay at the PM House.

During his stay, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be signing a number of agreements and MoUs related to diverse sectors, including investment, finance, power, renewable energy, internal security, media, culture and sports.

The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said a high-powered Saudi delegation including key ministers and over 20 businessmen from leading companies would hold meetings with their counterparts in Pakistan and discuss the potential of bigger investment between the two countries.

He added that a Pak-Saudi Coordination Council would be set up following the visit, whereas PM Khan would personally lead monitoring of the implementation of MoUs.

LAHORE: The Punjab government issued on Thursday a notification to transfer former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from prison to Jinnah Hospital for treatment.

In the notification, it was stated that the National Accountability Bureau was given permission to make the transfer upon the advice of Services Hospital and Special Medical Board.

IG Prisons Mirza Shahif Baig spoke to Geo News and said that the former prime minister will not be shifted as of now.

He said that Nawaz Sharif will be shifted tomorrow to the hospital but the government will decided on the time.

A special medical board, constituted to review medical report of Nawaz Sharif, said that the former premier is suffering from chest pain.

The medical board said Nawaz is facing cardiac issues and his thallium test have confirmed that he is suffering from angina. It said the former premier needs a cardiologist all the time.

On February 2, the deposed premier was shifted from the Kot Lakhpat prison to Services Hospital. A medical board constituted to monitor Nawaz’s health had recommended that he be shifted to a hospital from prison.

Nawaz is serving seven years’ imprisonment in the Al-Azizia Still Mills corruption case.

Pakistani peacekeepers have been serving in DRC since 1999 – File photo

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has met the United Nations target of deploying 15 per cent female military and staff officers in UN peacekeeping missions in line with efforts to enhance women’s participation in the world body’s flagship activity, a senior Pakistani diplomat has said.

Speaking in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on Monday, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said she was proud to point out that Pakistan has gone up from zero per cent participation of women in peacekeeping to 15 per cent in 18 months.

At the same time, she told the committee that Pakistan is deploying an “engagement team” consisting of women to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in May.

Pakistani peacekeepers have been serving in DRC since 1999. “Our faith in peacekeeping, as an indispensable tool for the maintenance of international peace and security, is firm and abiding,” the Pakistani envoy added.

The Special Committee brings together all stakeholders of UN peacekeeping — troop and police contributors, financial contributors, Security Council members and the UN Secretariat.

Ambassador Lodhi also called for “strengthening” the United Nations Military Observer Mission in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, to enable it to deal with the rising tensions in the disputed region.

“We believe UNMOGIP has been and continues to play an important role in the maintenance of peace and security in a volatile neighbourhood,” she said.

In her remarks, the Pakistani envoy said peacekeepers demonstrate that their response in hostile situations does not constrain the use of force.

However, the fundamentals of peacekeeping must be preserved, she said, noting Pakistan’s contributions as a longstanding and consistent troop and police contributing country.

The Special Committee must play its role in building norms and making recommendations.

Deployment decisions must be based on knowledge of the situation on the ground, in consultation with the troop-contributing countries, she said, adding that Pakistan and the United Kingdom had drafted recommendations in this regard.

Yet, the Pakistani envoy said cost-cutting exercises must not overlook the fact that peacekeeping is itself cost-effective, deserving of adequate financial and material resources with effective reviews and assessments.

In this vein, troop-contributing countries must be more involved in related peacekeeping processes.

Peacekeeping works best when there is a peace to keep, with a robust political track that enhances efforts, she said.

However, doing more with less is not sustainable and missions must be adequately equipped.

PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday arrested two men for blackmailing, cyber-harassing, and extorting women on social media, it said in a statement.

According to the FIA, the two arrested cyber-criminals were identified as Swabi resident Ahmed Zaib and Fakhr-e-Alam.

Ahmed Zaib, the FIA said, used to share his wife’s photos on social media after entering into a secret nikkah with her. He also used to extort hundreds of thousands of rupees against her photos.

Fakhr-e-Alam, on the other hand, made fake accounts of women on social media websites. However, when one of those women noticed her photo on a social media network, she reported the matter to the FIA and lodged a formal complaint, following which the suspect was tracked down and arrested.

The agency said it recovered mobile phones and SIM cards from the arrestees.